It is decision day in the Naugatuck Valley League. The league's 14 athletic directors meet today at Wilby, with one item on the agenda: Oxford High School.

It is likely that after a good three to four hours of wrangling, the athletic directors will vote.

Your guess is as good as mine.

Today's vote, assuming there is a vote, is only step one in the process. Adding a 15th school involves a change in the bylaws, and that can only be done by a vote of NVL principals, but a vote of "yea" today is far from a foregone conclusion. The Oxford application needs 10 votes out of 14 if it is to pass. That's a lot of votes.

Oxford seems to be a no brainer. Oxford athletes are Valley athletes, and isn't this the Valley league?

When asked about the pros and cons of adding Oxford, league president and Naugatuck High athletic director Tom Pompei said that he knew of no cons regarding Oxford. The pros, he noted, are numerous.

"They offer a solid and productive athletic program," Pompei said, "play a strong sub-varsity schedule, have good (enrollment) numbers, are made up of good people, and geographically there is natural appeal."

But all of that goodness only keeps your application on the table. Today the NVL addresses a larger issue.

"We always ask ourselves the Golden Rule," said Pompei. "Will adding another school make our league better? How does it affect our divisional situation and our championship postseason? That is what we will discuss. Will we be a better league by adding Oxford."

Here are a few things that weigh heavily in Oxford's favor:

Did the addition of Wolcott improve the NVL?

Did the addition of Seymour improve the NVL?

Did the addition of Woodland improve the NVL?

Did the addition of Derby and St. Paul improve the NVL?

The answer, to all, is a resounding yes. So, why would Oxford be different?

Well, it isn't that simple. The NVL does not aim to be a megaconference.

"We are not looking to grow and grow and grow. We love our league," explained Pompei. He said that the recent additions of Woodland, and Derby and St. Paul have been "tremendous, but, we are not actively pursuing expansion. This is a Valley and Waterbury league, and we love our history and tradition."

Which brings us back to the question, framed again by Pompei: "Will Oxford make us better?"

NVL athletic directors grapple with that decision today. It is, largely, a debate about logistics. Do you re-configure the divisions? Do you drop Oxford into the Brass Division and have eight- and seven-team divisions?

Do you create divisions based on competitive strength, and change the divisions for different sports? Do you go with three five-team divisions? An all-city school division sounds great in boys basketball, but is rather yeesh in everything else.

With 15 teams, do you expand the post-season tournaments?

You don't add a school until you answer those questions, and those are tough questions. It is a bit like adding a 15th leg to the ever-evolving NVL species. Can you walk and move forward on 15 legs?

Oxford would be a superb addition to the firm, if the NVL can make it work.

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